Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Snow Day

Snowtorious B.I.G.

this is my fourth snow day of the year and by far the biggest amount of snowfall we have received.

i knew it was going to be a really excellent day off (which is always bittersweet seeing as how i don't get paid if classes aren't in session). the snow had stopped completely, the sun was making occasional appearances and the mid-teens temperatures were tempered by the insulating effects of the snow.

shoveling is one of my favorite workouts. i can certainly bitch about snowing and covered driveways etc. but it's all a ruse. just a way to make small talk. like professional sports (of which i watch literally none. i have exactly zero understanding of professional sports). deep down inside, i love shoveling snow. i got my fix today. i shoveled my ass off. then i dug out my fallen ass and shoveled it back on again. it was thrilling.

i also went out for a pretty solid cross country ski expedition. it's always fun to travel around on skis and need'em. we had sustained winds over 50 mph and the drifts provided a welcome change in topography from the standard, rutted farm fields. the weight of the snow "sunk" the ice slightly and rendered it fairly treacherous, but again, the XC skis were a suitable means of transportation and snow over the frozen lake was fast. good times.

sadly the iceboating season may be over. this much snow pretty much puts the kibosh on things.

i rounded out the day with a 12 mile run. my "vampire-face" bandana came in handy as a balaclava. some weird looks from plow-trucks, but in general the run was perhaps my best outing of the young year. my quads and hamstrings are in rough shape from the gym visits of the past week, but on this run my legs felt as fresh as two hairy daisies.

this was a life-affirming snow day...as opposed to those weird, beerful snow days que no sirve para nada. ¿Verdad?